Strap and buckle



April 2, 1963 G. McGlLL STRAP AND BUCKLE Filed April 4. 1960 INVENTORLandon (il 5 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,083,428 STRAP AND BUCKLELandon G. Mc'Gili, St. Pauls, N.., assignor to Davis 8: McGill,Incorporated, St. Pauls, N.-C., a corporation of North Iarolina File-dApr. 4, 12 69, er. No. 1?,696 filaiins. (Ci. 24-175) This inventionrelates to the fastening together of commodities and for securing themin such fastened relation and more particularly to binding means, oneform of which may be illustrated by a strap with a fastener or bucklefor fastening together opposite ends of the strap.

The invention relates specifically to a strap of plastic or otherappropriate substance having the capacity to soften when subjected toheat at low temperatures and to a buckle or fastening element forsecuring together the ends of such strap.

Buckles and other fasteners of many kinds have been produced for usewith various types of straps but the advent of straps of modern plasticswhich melt when subjected to heat have given rise to different types ofconstruction due to a substantial degree to the difference in the natureof the materials of which the straps are formed.

It is an object of the invention to provide a strap and a buckle for usetherewith which may be simply applied and adjusted as to length as wellas one in which the characteristics of the strap can be utilized inapplying and anchoring the strap relative to the buckle by theapplication of heat to produce an enlargement by which anchoring isfacilitated and accomplished.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of a strap and buckle in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 2, a section on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3, a section on the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4, a fragmentary section of the structure of FIG. 2, prior to theheat forming of an abutment or enlargement on the end of the strap;

FIG. 5, a similar view after the formation of such enlargement orabutment;

FIG. 6, a fragmentary view of a buckle and strap in which the buckleincludes multiple tongues instead of a single tongue as illustrated inFIG. 1;

FIG. 7, a transverse section on the line 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8, a perspective of a cross rod having a single prong and anenclosed slot; and

FIG. 9, a perspective of a cross rod having two prongs and a slotextending through one end of the cross rod.

Briefly stated, the strap and buckle of the present invention areconstructed for the anchoring of both ends of the strap afteradjustment, one end of the strap being adapted to be provided with anenlargement as for example by the application of heat and the meltingand hardening of the end thereof and with the other end of the strapprovided with openings for receiving the prong or tongue of a buckle. Asuitable buckle is composed of a pair of parallel side members, threecross rods connecting the extremities and an intermediate portion ofsaid side bars, and with prong or tongue retaining bars located betweenthe intermediate bars and one of the cross rods for retaining the prongor tongue elements generally in the plane of the buckle. Theintermediate cross rod has a slot extending substantially from end toend and of a thickness to receive one end of the strap and with anenlargement on the strap to prevent its being pulled through the slot inthe cross rod and with such intermediate cross rod having prongs ortongues adapted to be received in openings in the opposite end 3,@3,4-23Patented Apr. 2, 15363 0f the strap. The slot in the intermediate crossrod may be such that it is entirely between the extremities of the crossrod or if desired the slot may extend completely through one end of thecross rod.

With continued reference to the drawing, a strap 14 of a modern plasticis adapted to have its ends fastened together by means of a bucklecomposed of side bars 11 and 12 connected by cross rods 13, '14 and 15with a pair of substantially parallel strap retaining bars 16.

If preferred, the cross rods 13 and 15 and the strap retaining bars 16may be integral with the side bars 11 and t2, and, if preferred, theintermediate cross rod '14 may be separately formed.

The cross rod 14 is provided with one or more prongs or tongues 1'7adapted to extend through one or more openings 18 in the strap 19. Theintermediate cross rod 14 also may have a slot 19 through which thestrap 19 may extend, the thickness of the slot being sufiicient toaccommodate the strap but of a size to prevent an en largement 2t} onthe end of the strap from pulling through the slot, such enlargementbeing provided in any desired manner, as for example by subjecting theend of the strap to fusion by heat.

The strap it) may be of any appropriate material with an enlargement ofany particular kind thereon sufficient to prevent the strap with theenlargement from being pulled through the slot in the intermediate crossrod la.

in order to maintain maximum thickness of the assembled strap and bucklethe under side of the cross rods 13 and 15 of the buckle may have flatsurfaces 13' and 15'. The cross rod 14- may have reduced ends 21 and 22of a size to fit within openings 23 and 24 of the side bar 11 and 12 ofthe buckle.

If desired, instead of the cross rod 1% having a slot terminating shortof each of the ends of the cross rod such slot may extend through oneend as illustrated in FIG. 9. In this figure a cross rod 14 havingreduced ends 21' and Z2. is provided with a slot 19' and a pair ofprongs 17. The slot 19' extends through the r duced end 22' of the crossrod to provide a pair of substantially semicylindrical end portionsadapted to fit within the opening 24 in the side member 12 of thebuckle. Where the cross rod 14 is provided with dual prongs 17 it is, ofcourse, necessary for the strap to have dual openings 18.

t will be apparent from the foregoing that a simple strap bucklecombination is provided which can be readily assembled and the strapadjusted to the desired size and held in such adjusted position.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes maybe made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scopethereof, and that the invention is not limited by that which isdescribed in the specification and shown in the drawing, but only as setforth in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination of a strap and a buckle, said strap being ofrelatively thin plastic and having a series of longitudinally spacedprong receiving openings in one end portion and the other end portion ofsaid strap having an end provided with a fused enlargement providing ananchoring abutment, said buckle being relatively flat and including sidemembers and a series of spaced connecting members, one of saidconnecting members being pivotally carried by said side members andhaving a slot extending therethrough substantially from end to end inwhich said strap is adapted to be disposed, said meriber having anintegral prong for disposition in one of the openings in the oppositeend of the strap and located in a manner to engage another of saidconnecting members, so that the strap is fastened at both ends to saidbuckle by said slot and said prong.

2. A combination strap and buckle, said strap being of a substance whichwill melt when heated at a relatively low temperature to permit theformation of an enlargement and having one or more longitudinally spacedopenings therein, said buckle comprising a pair of side bars, a pair oftransverse end rods connecting said side bars, and an intermediate crossrod pivotally carried by said side bars, said intermediate cross rodhaving a slot therethrough of a thickness and width to accommodate saidstrap so that theend of the strap with an enlargement thereon may beprevented from being pulled through said intermediate cross rod, saidintermediate cross rod having one or more prongs adapted to extendthrough said one or more openings in said 'stra-pand of a length toengage the adjacent end rod to prevent Withdrawal of the strap from thebuckle.

3. The combination of a'strap and a buckle, an enlargement on one end ofsaid strap, the opposite end of said strap having a series of spacedopenings therein, said buckle including side members connected bytransverse end members, an intermediate cross rod connecting said sidebars, said intermediate cross rod having a slot therethrough of a sizewhereby the strap will pass through such slot to engage saidenlargement, and one or more prongs formed integral with saidintermediate cross rod.

adapted to extend through one or more of said spaced openings in saidstrap and of a length to engage the adjacent end member, saidintermediate cross rod having reduced ends rotatably received withinopenings in said side members, so that the strap is fastened at bothends to said buckle by said slot and said one or more prongs.

4. The structure of claim 3 in which the slotin said intermediate crossrod extends through one of said reduced end portions whereby the strapcan be inserted laterally in the intermediate cross rod before said rodis placed in said buckle.

5. A buckle for use with a strap having an enlargement at one end and aseries of spaced openings in the oppositeend, said buckle comprisingside 'members connected by transverse end members, an intermediate crossrod pivotally connected to said side members and having a horizontalslot extending substantially its full length, at least one integralprong .on said cross rod, said prong being of a length to engage atleast one of said end members whereby the strap is received within thehorizontal slot of the cross rod and prevented from passage therethroughby the enlargement atone end and the-openings in the opposite endreceive said integral prongto fasten the strap at both ends to saidbuckle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 78,491Spencer June 2, 1868 123,340 Fiester Feb. 6, 1872 339,039 Bernd Mar. 30,1886 370,031 Zeller Sept. 13, 1887 703,152 Pilkington June 24, 19021,057,343 Guthman a Mar. 25, 1913 1,078,088 Edwards Nov. 11, 19131,169,621 Deutsch Jan. 25, 1916 1,243,232 Taggart Oct. 16, 19172,197,665 Kerngood Apr. 16, 19 2,426,731 Elliott Sept. 2 1947 FOREIGNPATENTS 569,627 France Jan. 8, 1924 252,858 Switzerland Oct. 16, 194 8

2. A COMBINATION STRAP AND BUCKLE, SAID STRAP BEING OF A SUBSTANCE WHICHWILL MELT WHEN HEATED AT A RELATIVELY LOW TEMPERATURE TO PERMIT THEFORMATION OF AN ENLARGEMENT AND HAVING ONE OR MORE LONGITUDINALLY SPACEDOPENINGS THEREIN, SAID BUCKLE COMPRISING A PAIR OF SIDE BARS, A PAIR OFTRANSVERSE END RODS CONNECTING SAID SIDE BARS, AND AN INTERMEDIATE CROSSROD PIVOTALLY CARRIED BY SAID SIDE BARS, SAID INTERMEDIATE CROSS RODHAVING A SLOT THERETHROUGH OF A THICKNESS AND WIDTH TO ACCOMMODATE SAIDSTRAP SO THAT THE END OF THE STRAP WITH AN ENLARGEMENT THEREON MAY BEPREVENTED FROM BEING PULLED THROUGH SAID INTERMEDIATE CROSS ROD, SAIDINTERMEDIATE CROSS ROD HAVING ONE OR MORE PRONGS ADAPTED TO EXTENDTHROUGH SAID ONE OR MORE OPENINGS IN SAID STRAP AND OF A LENGTH TOENGAGE THE ADJACENT END ROD TO PREVENT WITHDRAWAL OF THE STRAP FROM THEBUCKLE.